Google Play Protect vs AntiVirus
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Mine (ESET) didn't even make the list.
And it came highly rated when I got it. -
I wonder why they didn't include it ? ESET is one of the big players, though can vary in performance a fair bit.
I this we can at least figure that is is at least going to be a hell of a lot better than just relying on google play protect.
Doctor Flay ™
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The irony is people often say you should only download apps from the play store, to avoid getting malware!
I use F-Droid, but I do also use an app from F-Droid that allows you to access apps from the G Play Store anonymously (Aurora) - but I only use Aurora to update the one single app I get from the Play Store (Bitdefender Free). I like Bitdefender Free because it's so lightweight and basic. It does nothing other than scan for malware. No add-on features whatsoever. If it wasn't free I'd happily pay for it. I don't want a bloated AV that does anything other than scan for viruses, so I have no need for the paid versions of any Android AV. I'm glad to see Bitdefender's technology has rated highly in this test.
I used to use Checky, which allowed me to check any apk installed on my phone against VirusTotal's database, but it hasn't been updated in years and has recently stopped working. Maybe VirusTotal updated their API. It's a shame, because Checky was ideal.
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@Dr-Flay Just being a cynic, but maybe they don't advertise enough...
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@jamesbeardmore for a Virus Total app the one now recommended by them is
https://www.appbrain.com/app/virustotal-mobile/com.funnycat.virustotalYeah I would like to see a banner on the front of F-Droid with the total amount of malware found and removed each year. I am quite sure they could spare a tiny space for such a small number.
Another handy updater app in F-Droid also checks for updates via several sources which means you can bypass country blocks, and sometimes get earlier updates
https://f-droid.org/packages/fr.kwiatkowski.ApkTrack/I have mixed feelings about the optional extras in AV, but if pitched right it isn't bloatware, especially if offered as extra apps.
If you pay for Avira you can enable a few extras like monitoring for unwanted access to the camera and mic, then there is free options like the checking of your account details in any known breaches. Firefox has the same feature which I also use there.
The extra VPN is an extra DL so if you don't want, you don't have.One thing I have noticed with AV for mobiles is again we have the dire problem of defaults and user ignorance.
So far everyones phone I have checked, they have not gone into the phone settings to enable the various accessibility and device management features, so has limited access and no automatic ability beyond regular scans, and relies on user interaction.@greybeard Maybe, but I think within the industry they don't need to as they are well established and trusted.
Perhaps if they let people have access to the old standalones like they used to, more people would be aware of them. It is how I first came across them. -
In Android I use Bitdefender, it is very lightweight an works fine. Control every download and updates, even from Google Play. The elimination of the apps, both in Google Play and in the Chrome Store a long time ago, many only after complaints by users, already showed more than enough that detecting viruses and malware is not exactly Google's strong point, if not, these apps and extensions could not have entered the stores.
For this reason, I already used Panda AV on Android for a long time, also very well, but somewhat heavier than Bitdefender. -
I have not heard about Google Play Protect before. I've used some antiviruses on my Sony smartphone but I decided to delete them as the devices started working slower.
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@lorenzdenesiks , Google Play Protect is part of the Android System, but it is the worst AV out there. BitDefender is very light weight and don't slow down, not even my cheap Phone with only 500 Mb free RAM
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By default the Google Play protect should be half enabled.
If you go to its section in the main app menu, you will see an extra option to send unknown apps back for testing.
Enable that also.
Google Play Protect won't slow the device because it is not a resident AV.In my experience Avira does not slow down my use of the OS during general use.
It will however slow the device when doing a scan because it is using the CPU at this point.
You can set an AV to only scan new apps and not do scheduled scans, so the only impact on use is the 1 time delay when installing a new APK.You can also make use of one of the VirusTotal apps which will check your APKs against a large list of AV, but this tends to confuse a lot of people with false positives from crappy AV.
If you know which AV are worth trusting and which to ignore it makes a good standalone scanner -
@Dr-Flay , BitDefender only scans downloaded APK , Apps installed from Google Play or other downloads to the phone (in real time), in normal use does not interfere with the system.
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@Catweazle that was the point i made but I gave Avira as an example because that is the one I use with Android.
Yes Bitdefender will do the same as will most full AV if you go into the settings and make sure scheduled scans is off. -
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